Whether you do it yourself or hire a service, preventative maintenance is the number one way you can prevent the need for garage door repair in McDonough, GA. Investing a small amount of money and effort now will save you big bucks in the long run, and you might even learn something in the process. Here are a few of the most important ways you can provide preventative maintenance for your garage doors:

Check your cables: Garage door cables are dangerous, so you’ll never want to mess around with them by yourself. But you can easily check them by looking for damaged strands at the base of the cables. If you notice any, it’s time to call in a professional.

Replace weather stripping: Weather stripping is the seal that protects the bottom of your garage door. If it’s cracked, damaged or discolored, you can easily replace it. This will keep the outside temperature and weather from negatively affecting the comfort of the inside of your garage and your entire house.

Listen: When garage doors screech, rattle, squeak or scrape when opening or closing, that’s usually a pretty good indication that they need some TLC. The sooner you have the problem taken care of, the less damage it is likely to cause, on both your garage door and your ear drums.

Test its balance: If your garage door is taking longer to open than usual, the balance of its springs might be off. Testing, adjusting or replacing garage door springs should usually be left to professionals, as they can be dangerous in inexperienced hands. If you’re stuck out in your driveway longer and longer every time you come home, waiting for your garage door to finally open, it’s time to call a garage door servicing business.

Tighten the screws: Garage doors might seem complicated to someone who’s never worked on one before, but like many machines, a lot comes down to nuts, bolts and screws. Your garage door works hard, likely having to open and close multiple times every day. Taking time once a year to tighten any loose screws and roller brackets will help make sure nothing comes loose. You can do this yourself, but if you’re unsure where to start, call a professional for help.

Keep it lubricated: Just like the car it protects, a garage door will run much more smoothly with the proper lubrication. Taking 10 minutes every six months or so to spray or rub a little lithium onto all its working parts can add years to your garage door’s lifespan.

When in doubt, ask for help: When it comes to caring for your garage door, here’s a good rule of thumb: if something looks, sounds and feels off, but you aren’t sure where it’s coming from, call a professional. Even if it’s only a small problem, it could someday grow into a big one, so it’s best to nip it in the bud. If you need a friendly and trustworthy team for garage door repair in McDonough, GA, remember you can always count on Affordable Dock & Door.